Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 1969-70 to 1988-89
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 6 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 20 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 18 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 19 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 6 Bill Russell 5

Finals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 2 Bill Russell 0 *

All-NBA First Team Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 5 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 Bill Russell 1

Scoring Leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 2 Bill Russell 0

Rebounds Leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1 Bill Russell 4

Blocks Leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 4 * Bill Russell 0 *

Rookie of The Year Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1 Bill Russell 0

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69. Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24.6 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11.2 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 3.6 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 0.9 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 2.6 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 17,440 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 5,660 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1,160 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 3,189 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1,560 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Kareem Abdul-Jabbar .559 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Kareem Abdul-Jabbar .056 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Kareem Abdul-Jabbar .721 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 34.8 (1972) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 16.9 (1976) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 5.4 (1979) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1.7 (1978) * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 4.1 (1976) * Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24.3 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10.5 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 3.2 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1.0 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 2.4 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 5,762 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 2,481 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 767 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 189 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 476 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 237 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Kareem Abdul-Jabbar .533 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Kareem Abdul-Jabbar .000 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Kareem Abdul-Jabbar .740 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 35.2 (1970) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 18.2 (1972) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 5.1 (1972) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1.7 (1977) * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 4.1 (1979) * Bill Russell - n/a **

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74, this player has no data for the stat. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.